(Cricket news) The 1st Test at Trent Bridge ended in a draw after rain stopped play for the entire last day. The rain robbed cricket fans of what would've been an exciting end to the first test. India did have the upper hand but had to settle for a draw. Team India registered an iconic victory in the 2nd Test match at Lord's by 151 runs. Indian bowlers put in a 4th innings masterclass to successfully get 10 wickets in less than 60 overs.
The 3rd Test at Headingley presents India with a great chance to take a 2-0 series lead. India will not get a better chance of winning a Test series in England. The England squad is massively underpowered due to injuries and players being out of form. Virat Kohli on the other hand has a full powered Indian side at his disposal.
England have called David Malan in the squad to replace out of form Dom Sibley and Zac Crawley. Mark Wood is out of contention with a shoulder injury and is likely to be replaced by Craig Overton or Saqib Mahmood. Haseeb Hameed is likely to open the innings and Ollie Pope could get a chance to play.
Aa for India, Shardul Thakur is available for selection again after missing the 2nd Test through injury. India's top 6 is likely to remain unchanged but the 5 bowlers could be chopped and changed. Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri would not be too keen on changing the winning combination unless the pitch and conditions really demand it.
India's only issue is their middle order which has been short of runs. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara's 100 run partnership eventually won the 2nd Test match for India therefore it wouldn't make any sense to drop any of them. Virat Kohli is the one batsman who is truly short of runs but if there is any player in the world who can turn things it is the Indian skipper.
India's combination of four pacers and Ravindra Jadeja has brought great success in the 1st two games. Having said that, it is tough to keep Ravichandran Ashwin out of the team if the conditions favour the spinner even in the slightest. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are undroppable after their performances so one of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja will have to make way for Ashwin or Shardul or maybe both.
Player to look out for: Virat Kohli
The Indian captain has earned the title of the best batsman in this generation. The tag has faded away in the last few years. Kohli hasn't scored an International century since November 2019 against Bangladesh. There are reports that the pitch at Headingley is going to be a flat one which will be perfect for Kohli to get some runs under his belt.
